Su Meier led Su Dabao, keeping a distance of about ten steps behind them—neither too close nor too far.
Chu Xiao pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and glanced casually at the two fish in Shen Jianyang’s hands.
“Jianyang, her reputation isn’t exactly good. How did you end up getting involved with her?”
“Can you speak properly? We’re engaged in a perfectly legitimate trade transaction.” Shen Jianyang rolled his eyes. This guy had never gotten along with him.
Song Cili watched the two bicker with an indifferent expression and said nothing.
Before long, they arrived at the Educated Youth Center.
Standing in the courtyard, Su Meier looked at the single-story building situated at the southernmost edge of the village.
It was surprisingly large, with a full twenty rooms. It was also the only house in the village with white walls and black roof tiles, clearly built specifically to house the educated youths.
The entire building backed onto fields and green hills beyond the village, giving it a tranquil and picturesque atmosphere.
A corridor over a meter wide ran through the middle of the structure, with ten rooms on each side. It was probably the dividing line between the male and female educated youths’ quarters.
Sure enough, the three men headed toward the rooms on the left side.
The man in blue seemed to enter the room at the far end by himself.
The other two entered the neighboring room together.
Su Dabao curiously looked around this place he had never visited before. Su Meier grabbed his hand.
“Dabao, don’t run around. We’ll leave after we get the candy.”
At the mention of candy, Su Dabao’s eyes lit up.
“Auntie, that candy is so delicious! I’ve never eaten anything like it before!”
Looking at the innocent child of this era, Su Meier smiled slightly.
“Well, now you have. There are lots of delicious things in the world that you’ve never tried before.
If you behave, Auntie will buy you tasty treats in the future. All those snacks you’ve never even seen before—we’ll get some for our Dabao.”
Su Meier painted a grand picture without restraint. Whether she could actually deliver or not was another matter. For now, she might as well feed him the dream first.
“Yay! Yay! Dabao likes the current Auntie!” Su Dabao clapped happily.
“Was the old Auntie not good to you?”
Since he had brought up the original owner of the body, Su Meier asked curiously.
Su Dabao shook his head.
“No, she wasn’t bad. Auntie just thought I was too little before and never liked taking me anywhere.”
That startled Su Meier. She had thought perhaps the original owner had a character problem. It seemed she simply didn’t like dealing with children.
“Auntie was busy studying before and didn’t have time to play with you.
Now Auntie has plenty of free time, so I can take you around everywhere, okay?”
She had already begun planning where to wander tomorrow. With Dabao, a local native, accompanying her, she wouldn’t have to worry about not recognizing people she met.
“Mhm! Mhm!” Su Dabao nodded vigorously.
“Miss Su, this is your candy.”
A low, cool voice sounded above her head.
Su Meier turned and looked at the newcomer, her eyes instantly filling with longing.
She stared at the glass jar in his hand.
It was truly packed full of White Rabbit Milk Candies.
In this era of scarce supplies, the value of that jar far exceeded the two fish she had caught.
Blinking, her voice softened unconsciously.
“You’re… really giving it to me?”
“Yes.”
Song Cili’s tone was calm and without the slightest hesitation.
Without standing on ceremony, Su Meier accepted the jar. The moment she felt its solid weight in her hands, genuine joy blossomed across her face.
“Thank you!”
“There’s no need. This was simply an exchange of goods.”
Seeing that she had accepted it, the young man turned to leave.
But Su Meier hadn’t forgotten what the crew-cut guy had said earlier.
This man apparently had an entire room full of snacks!
“Wait, Educated Youth Song!”
For the sake of delicious food, a feasible plan had just flashed through her mind.
“What is it?”
Song Cili stopped and looked at her in confusion.
Mysteriously, Su Meier lowered her voice.
“Educated Youth Song, I can hunt other game animals in the mountains. If you want any, all you need to do is trade your snacks with me.”
Only then did Song Cili truly begin to examine the girl before him.
His obsidian-like eyes were calm and deep, carrying a trace of curiosity.
“Let’s talk after you’ve actually caught something.”
Su Meier raised an eyebrow.
“Then tomorrow, same time, on that path between the fields. I’ll wait for you there.”
Without phones, communication was really troublesome. They had to arrange everything verbally.
Song Cili gave no response and simply returned to his room as though he hadn’t taken her words to heart at all.
Su Meier didn’t care about his attitude.
Only his snacks were capable of affecting her emotions.
“Let’s go, Dabao.”
Holding the jar, Su Meier led Su Dabao away.
On the way back, she roughly memorized the route. She deliberately avoided a few households that seemed difficult to get along with and didn’t run into anyone else.
The moment they returned home, Mother Liang, who was washing vegetable leaves in the courtyard, immediately put down her work. Wiping the water from her hands, she stood up.
“Meier, your injuries haven’t fully healed yet. Why did you run out without saying a word?”
Su Dabao happily hugged her leg.
“Grandma, Dabao is hungry. I want eggs.”
“Eat, eat, eat. All you know is eating. The eggs at home have practically all gone into your stomach.”
Mother Liang sounded annoyed.
Did he really think she didn’t know? Half the eggs she prepared for her daughter every day ended up in his belly. And after eating, he never even wiped his mouth properly.
“Mom, neither of us has had lunch yet. Is there anything good to eat?”
As she spoke, Su Meier headed toward the kitchen.
“I knew you hadn’t eaten. I saved some for you! It’s on the stove!”
Mother Liang called out loudly.
Entering the kitchen, Su Meier found two bowls of porridge, two eggs, and a small dish of pickled vegetables still sitting on the stove, slightly warm.
Her face instantly fell.
She suddenly missed the two fish she had traded away.
“Dabao, come eat!”
Su Meier placed the candy jar on a nearby table and picked up a bowl of porridge.
Hearing her call, Su Dabao quickly ran in.
“Auntie!”
“Here. Eat over at the table.”
She handed him a bowl and slipped an egg into his hand.
When Mother Liang entered and saw the egg in Su Dabao’s hand, she merely frowned slightly and said nothing.
Then she noticed the glass jar of candy on the table.
Rubbing her eyes in disbelief, she wondered if she was seeing things.
After rubbing them several times, the white candies were still right there.
She immediately cried out in shock.
“Heavens above! Where did this candy come from?”
After taking a sip of porridge, Su Meier answered calmly,
“I traded for it with some of the educated youths.”
Mother Liang’s expression changed dramatically.
“What did you trade for such a large jar of candy?”
In her eyes, her daughter didn’t possess anything valuable enough to exchange for something so precious.
Su Dabao lifted his little face, covered in rice grains and porridge.
“Grandma, Auntie and I caught two fish in the lake behind the mountain today.
On the way back, we met some big brothers. They wanted the fish, so they traded with us.”
Mother Liang immediately relaxed.
“So it was fish. That makes sense.”
In these times, meat was extremely scarce. For city-born educated youths, exchanging a jar of candy for two fish was entirely believable.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
“Meier, the riverbank is too dangerous. Don’t go there again.”
“It was Mom’s fault for not thinking things through. Here, take some money. If you want something to eat, go buy it in town yourself.”
She pulled a small money pouch from her pocket and carefully took out a one-yuan banknote, placing it gently into Su Meier’s hand.